Report: Facebook’s Mobile Reach Declines But Its Messenger App Soars

Operating system, handset OEM market shares relatively static.

This evening, comScore reported November U.S. smartphone market share estimates. As with PC search market share, the numbers now are relatively stable and unchanged from month-to-month. Apple remains the leading individual smartphone maker, and Android is the operating system leader.

According to comScore, nearly 74 percent (73.6 percent) of U.S. mobile subscribers now have smartphones. Below is a comparison of comScore smartphone market share numbers from November 2014 and a year ago.

Source: comScore

Previously Kantar Worldpanel ComTech indicated that Apple had gained market share against Android during November via the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Both comScore and Kantar rely on surveys to extrapolate market share figures.

StatCounter reflects that the iPhone drives just under 52 percent of US mobile internet traffic while Android is responsible for 45 percent. Windows and all others generate roughly 3 percent of mobile internet traffic.

Below is a comparison (comScore data) of the top 15 apps in November 2014 and the previous year. A few apps have gained traction while others have lost reach. In particular Pandora has lost nearly 10 points year over year, while Facebook has lost just over 7 points of audience reach. Those losses have come incrementally over the past few months.

YouTube has gained audience reach and Amazon wasn’t on the list a year ago. Compared with a year ago, however, Facebook Messenger is the big winner, going from 22 percent to 43 percent audience penetration.

Source: comScore

About The Author

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog, Screenwerk, about connecting the dots between digital media and real-world consumer behavior. He is also VP of Strategy and Insights for the Local Search Association. Follow him on Twitter or find him at Google+.